WORKPLACE GIVING

Funding Environmental Justice

Peter Miguel Camejo was an American author, activist and politician. But perhaps most importantly, he was a passionate advocate of social and environmental justice. A past member of the EarthShare Board of Directors, Camejo was dedicated to helping create a more sustainable environment and assisting communities directly affected by environmental problems. Upon his passing in 2008, EarthShare established the Peter M. Camejo Fund for Environmental Justice to honor his legacy and his many years of commitment to underserved communities. EarthShare is pleased to announce the first projects to receive support from the new fund.

"We are delighted to launch the Camejo Fund for Environmental Justice as a way to both honor our friend and former director, and to assist community based organizations whose programs align with Peter’s legacy of concern for the environment and social justice," said Kal Stein, President and CEO of EarthShare. "We hope these grants are the first of many that help focus attention on the work of community organizations and how the environment affects all people."

True to Camejo’s vision of encouraging investment in socially responsible projects, the grant recipients have demonstrated their commitment to addressing issues concerning the fair development, implementation and enforcement of environmental regulations, and their intention to work with an affected community to build collaborative partnerships, identify public health issues, and implement solutions.

“Thank you very much for putting this together and selecting such interesting and worthy recipients,” said Camejo’s widow, Morella Camejo. “These projects are what gave meaning to Peter's life and I am sure he would have been thrilled to know that in such terrible economic times, there is a fund in his name that is allowing individuals to make a difference in their community, and help the environment.”

The following projects were awarded $1,000 each from the Camejo Fund for Environmental Justice through EarthShare:

Clean Water Fund – CA: This project will fund the production of bilingual (Spanish‐ English) educational materials and community organizing dealing with clean water in communities of color in the California Central Valley area.

Gateway Greening – MO: This project will fund the purchase of garden tools to be used in community gardens in disadvantaged communities.

Pacific Environment – CA: This project will help fund the production of a report/roadmap for nine San Francisco Bay Area counties that takes an integrated analysis of all the factors that influence energy planning.

Tampa Bay Watch – FL: This project funds scholarships to youth from disadvantaged communities to make it possible for them to attend Tampa Bay Watch’s Estuary EdVenture program. The program is comprised of many activities that examine critical watershed issues.

Willamette River Keeper – OR: This project will involve partial funding of water quality monitoring training and the production of training documents.

If you would like information about contributing to this ongoing fund as an individual or as a corporate entity, please contact us at info@earthshare.org.